Rotary engine.



10.742,297. PATENTED 001227, 190s.

I. H. DILLON.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE au, 1902.

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I. H. DILLON. v ROTARY ENGINE. APPLIoMIN FILED JUNE ao, 1902.

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` Mew@ MED ' UNITED STATES` Patented October 27, 1903.

vIVY HANCOCK DILLoN, orv DALLAS, TEXAS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part `of Letters Patent N0. 742,297, dated October27, 1903. Application filed June 30, 1902. Serial No. 113,743. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern/.-

Be it known that I, IVY'HANCOCK DILLON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of whichthe followingis a specification.

My invention relates to rotary engines and the object is to construct anengine in whichthe loss of power by friction is reduced to a minimum andwhich can be built of any suitable size. The construction ofthe engine is such that an enginemay be made very small and yet develop tremendous power. The' engine may be built larger for use where the greatest `power is needed: By reason of the fact that the engine can bebuilt so small engines may be built and .utilized at various parts of a machine-shop for drilling, for cleaning boilers, driving fans, &c. ,and for the heaviest work. Y'

Other objects and advantages will be fully explained in the following description, and the invention will be more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the engine with suitable gearing applied. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the engine unmounted. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the engine with one side or face of the revolving cylinder taken off, showing the stationary cam-piston within the cylinder. Fig. 4 vis a vertical section of the stationary cam-piston. Fig. 5 is an edge view of the piston. Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section. illustrating the manner of mounting the cutoff aps in the revolving cylinder. Fig. 8 is a Vertical section, on a larger scale,'illustrat ing a variation in the stationary piston. Fig. 9 is a side view of the same, showing gearing for driving the rotary valve within the station of the same.

tiona'ry piston. Fig. 10 is a transverse sec- Fig. 11 is a broken view of the engine shown in Figs. 8 to 10 and illustrating the manner of adjusting the gearing for the rotary valve which is to be mounted on the revolving cylinder, the gear-wheel'being bolted to the inner face ofthe side 16 of the cylinder. Fig. 12 is avertical section of a piston which has two steam-ports and two ex- Fig. 7 is a broken sectional view;

hausts. Fig. 13 is a vertical section of the piston shown in Fig. 12 and a vertical section of` the revolving 1Vcylinder, illustrating the gearing for driving the rotary valves. Fig. 14 illustrates how an engine may be suspended on a pipe and wings attached thereto to serve asa fan.

Similarcharacters of reference are used to indicate the same parts throughout the sev-V eral views.

This Arotary engine comprises a revolving cylinder and a stationary piston within the revolving cylinder and the gearing applied to the cylinder for transmitting power. The revolving cylinder 1 is provided with a pulley 2 on one-side and a pinion 3 on the other side. The pinion 3 may drive a cog-wheel 4, which is mounted on a shaft 5, which `is journaled in bearings 7, and a pulley 6 for transmitting power of the engine may also be mounted on shaft 5. The piston 8 is stationary and in the general contour is cylindrical; but it has a cam 9 on the periphery thereof. The piston 8 has a shaft in two parts, consisting of the part 10, having the steam-duct 11, and the part 12, which is a hollow shaft for exhaust purposes. The shaft of the piston is iixedly mounted in the bearings 13. The revolving cylinder 1 is composed of three partsthe outer rim 14 and the two sides or faces 15 and 16; The pinion 3 may be integral with the side or face 15, and the pulley 2 may be integral with the side or face 16. The sides 15 and 16 are bolted to the rim 14 through the annular interior rib 17, as shown by Fig. 3. There are cut-outs 18 in the rib 17 for the steam-cut-off iaps 19,. the ribs forming abutments for the flaps. The iiaps 19 are mounted on rock-shafts 20, which are journaled in the side pieces or faces 15 and 16, the ends of the shaft serving as trunnions for the flaps 19. The fiaps 19 are controlled by spiral springs 21, which are mounted on the shafts 20. One end of the spring is secured yto the revolving cylinder 1 and the other end inserted inthe flap, the iiap being rigid with the shaft 20. The normal position of the iap 19 is pressing against the piston 8 and the ribs 17,' and the function of the spring 21 is to hold the flap in this position and to throw the ap against ICO the piston as soon as the flap passes beyond the pistolrcam 9. Three flaps are shown in the drawings; but any practical number 0f liaps might be inserted. The steam-port 22 is through the cam 9. One steam-port is shown. Other steam -ports can be made through the piston 8. The object for which the engine is built will probably be controlling as to the number of ports to be used. It will be seen that the steam passes through the duct 1l in shaft 10 and then through the port 22. The piston S has an exhaust-port 23 through the periphery thereof and then through ports 2etinto the interior of the shaft 12. The flaps 19 are placed at equal distances apart in the revolving cylinder 1. Consequently the distance between each two iiaps is practically one-third of the cylinder. The steamchest is between the periphery of the piston 8 and the cylinder 1 and between a flap and the cam 9. The cylinder revolves in the direction indicated by arrow in Fig. 3. Just as one Hap begins to fall over cam 9 the preceding flap passes over the exhaust-port 23. The function of the springs 21 is to make the flaps fall quickly on the piston 8. Oilcups 37 are provided for oiling the bearings of the cylinder.

The operation is simple. The steam is admitted to the duct 11 and passes through the port 22 and presses against the flap 19, which is in front of the cam 9. The steam will drive the revolving cylinder 1 by means of the pressure against the flap 19. These flaps will pass over the cam 9 successively, fortning a steam-chamber between each flap and the cam 9. As soon as a flap passes over onethird of the periphery of the piston the chamberso formed exhausts. The springs 21 must be strong enough to overcome the centrifugal force and close in on the piston. From the construction shown it will be seen that there will be no danger of explosions, as the engine will run fast enough to canse the flaps to be pressed out by centrifugal force, so that steam would escape under the flaps 19. The flaps 19 must be so adjusted that they will just touch the piston 8. The ribs 17 form abutments for the flaps, and the force of the flaps comes against these abutments to prevent too great wear of the aps.

vIn addition to and as a variation of the cutolf above described I have provided a positive cut-off. I have provided a rotary valve 25, which Immount in the piston adjacent to the port 22. This valve has three ports 26, corresponding to the number of daps above described. Each port 26 allows steam to pass just as a Hap 19 falls over the cam 9. This rotary valve prevents the possibility of steam passing under the fiap and escaping before the Hap strikes the piston. This valve is rotated by a gear-wheel 27, which is mounted on the shaft29 of the valve and which meshes with and is driven by a cog-wheel 2S, which is bolted to the face 16, on the inside thereof, of the revolving cylinder. The bolts 30 are made rigid in the wheel 2SA and pass through the face 16. The face 16 is provided with short concentric slots 31 for the bolts 30, so that the valve 25 may be properly adjusted, by means of the gearing 27 and 28, to bring the valve in such position that its ports 26 will register with the port 22 at the proper time. The revolving of cylinder 1 carries the Wheel 28, and this wheel drives wheel 27 and rotates the valve. This will make a positive cut-off for the steam. The valve is tc be geared so that a flap 19 will fall over the cam 9 in front of the steam before the steam can pass under the flap. In this manner loss of steam is prevented. The gearing for the valve is countersunk in the valve.

In Figs. 12 and 13 I show a piston similar to the piston previously described, except that it has twoinlet-ports 32 and two exhausts 33. These two ports are fed by a common inlet 34 through the shaft. The ports 32 are made through cams 38, which are formed on the periphery' of the piston opposite cach other. A rotary Valve 25 with ports 26, as previously described, is mounted in each passage to the ports 32, and a gear-wheel 27 is provided for driving or rotating the valves, and these gear-wheels are driven by the gearwheel 2S, which is carried by the cylinder 1.

In Fig. 14 is shown an engine suspended on a pipe 35 to be used as a fan-motor. Wings 36 are simply attached to the periphery of the cylinder.

Various changes may be made in the construction of this engine without departing from my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A rotary steam-engine comprising a revolving cylinder provided with suitable driving-gear, a stationary piston inclosed in said cylinder and having a shaft constituting bearings for said cylinder and being provided with a suitable exhaust-port and having a cam on the periphery thereof and a stean1 passage through one end of said shaft and through said cam, a rotary valve mounted in said piston in said steam-passage and provided with suitable ports, a valveg`ear `for said valve, and a gear-wheel carried by said cylinder for driving said valve-gear, said cylinder having spring-pressed flaps disposed in the path of said cam and each flap adapted to pass over said cam and drop against the periphery of said piston just before a port of said valve opens the passage through said cam.

2. A rotary engine comprising a stationary piston provided with a shaft xedly mounted, a revolving cylinder inclosing said piston and journaled ou said shaft and having springpressed flaps pressing against the periphery of said piston, said piston being provided with a suitable exhaust-port and having a cam disposed in the path of said {iaps and a steam-port through said cam, a rotary valve mounted in said piston for opening and closing said port, and suitable gearing whereby IOO IIO

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said valve is made to open said port just after cach of said flaps passes over said cam.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination of a piston mounted on an axle held against rotation, said piston having two oppositelyextending radial inlet-ports and tWo oppositely-extendin g radial exhaust-ports therein, rotary valves bearing gears and mounted to regulate the flow of steam through said inletports, a cylinder revolubly mounted on said piston, flaps mounted within Athe cylinder, and. cams carried by said piston and located to operate said iiaps, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a piston carried by a non-rotating axle having inlet and exhaust ports therein, a casing rotatably mounted on said axle, rotary valves bearing gears mounted in said piston, and a gear mounted to move in unison with said casing and 1ocated to mesh with said gears to actuate said valves, substantially as described.

5. A rotary engine comprising a revolving cylinder and a stationary piston inclosed in said cylinder and forming bearings for said cylinder, said cylinder being provided with spring-pressed iaps pressing against the periphery of said piston and said piston having cams, one diametrically opposite the other, disposed in the path of said Vflaps, intakeports through said cams, a positive cut-o mounted in the passage to and adjacent to each intake-port, and suitable exhaust-ports.

In testimony whereof I set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, this 19th day of June, 1902.

. IVY HANCOCK DILLON. Witnesses:

GEO. P. DUNLAP, C. A. MAYO. 

